En Masse brings together local artists and community members
A multi-disciplinary exhibition was a place where artists, and locals, can gather to showcase, observe, and get involved in creating art.
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – En Masse is a community collaborative art event supported and organized by the MSU Department of Art and Galleries, Del Rendon Foundation, Starkville Area Arts Council, and tons more local artists.
The multidisciplinary all-day exhibition was where artists and locals could gather to showcase, observe, and get involved in creating art.
En Masse Gallery Director and Exhibition Coordinator, Dixie Boswell, said the event started when a musician, Joe DeVita, asked if he could play his music in one of their galleries.
Boswell looked into his music and was inspired by his unique mixed-media performances.
“That borders on installation art,” Boswell said. “And what if we had more artists? And what if we had more bands? And what if we had TedTalks? And what if we had, like, a moth story hour? And what if we had poetry? And what if we had sculpture? And then I started reaching out to people over the summer, and so many people were like, oh my God, yes, let’s do that.”
Aubrey Pohl, the Co-Chair of the Visiting Artist Committee at Mississippi State, described how people of any background could come to participate in the creation of art.
“The goal of en masse is to kind of approach the word creative or creativity in every sense of the word that you don’t have to have a degree,” Pohl said. “You don’t have to be a technically trained artist to produce art or engage in art.”
“People can come and just look at things, but they’re also really encouraged to come to collaborate with the projects we have going on, “Boswell said.
One attendee, Addie Claire Stephens, shared what she was working on, and how encouraging the inclusivity of events like this can be.
“I’m just here observing and doing the art,” Stephens said. “Something I have here to do right now, I’m working on the yarn bombing project. I think it’s a really good idea. Especially considering how a lot of projects are easier for people to get into and not necessarily require a whole lot of prerequisites.”
Another attendee, Taggert King, said En Masse is an important avenue for the community to connect with art in an impactful way.
“I think it’s so crucial, for art in Mississippi in general to, get the community involvement going on,” King said. “It’s one thing to go to a sort of event to, like, just walk around and see the art and everything. But it is so important because an individual person might find out something that they love more, or they may be able to connect it with the community in a way that wasn’t possible before an event like this. So I’m excited to see that happen.”
“I think, you know, the point of this whole event is that anyone can make art and anyone can participate in it. So, if people don’t make it to this one, then I hope we see them at the next one,” Pohl said.
There will be a gallery available in Freeman Hall where people can come to see some of the art that was made at En Masse.
